I never got around to playing the original Criminal Girls, mainly due to being put-off by the game’s infamous sadomasochism theme. It just didn’t seem up my wheelhouse, especially since other games like Dungeon Travelers 2 ended up grossing me out a bit due to the excessive “fan service.” So, when I started up Criminal Girls 2: Party Favors I knew that I was in for an interesting experience at the very least.
I came in expecting to see anime girls in sexually compromised situations (and boy, does the game deliver there), but what I didn’t expect was that there was a solid role-playing game hidden beneath the rather vulgar veneer. It only took me a few battles to really get into Criminal Girls‘ fighting system, that has the player coaching his four students (who have been sent to hell for being a delinquent). What’s interesting is that the player doesn’t choose what specific action for the characters to do, instead they are presented with a random assortment of their abilities. This makes the combat almost feel like a card game. I loved never knowing what attacks I would end up with, and I always felt relieved whenever I saw a major skill come into play during a tough battle. Sure, it also works in the opposite way, as it can be frustrating when that move never shows up, but I felt like it struck a good enough balance. Either way, it’s a more interesting battle system than I see in most role-playing games, namely be...